1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally, to the preparation of blasting compositions and more specifically to the preparation of liquid explosive compositions from sensitized nitroparafins which may be utilized in numerous applications requiring personal safety and high blasting efficiency.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There have been numerous attempts to provide explosive or blasting compositions, for industrial and military applications, that exhibit high blasting efficiencies with a minimum risk of injury to the users. Factors such as detonation sensitivity, shipment, and storage of the compositions have tended to reduce the number of practical compositions that are commercially available. Conventional shaped charge explosives, such as HMX and RDX are relatively expensive and are limited in their usefulness because they are solids.
Attempts to prepare liquid or semi-liquid blasting sompositions from nitroalkanes have met with some success as illustrated in: U.S. Pat. No. 3,132,060; U.S. Pat. No. 3,133,844; U.S. Pat. No. 3,242,022; U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,728; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,438. However, in each instance the patented composition has been limited in its usefulness because it was either too complex or, it contained undesirable ingredients from a cost or availability point of view, it was so sensitive that it had to be mixed on site from ingredients that were transported separate in special equipment or, because of its composition, it was not capable of yielding a reproducible smooth uniform detonation front.
Of the patents cited above, U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,438 contains a disclosure of compositions which appear to be most relevant to the present invention. However, the compositions of the "438" patent are not as useful as the present invention because the compositions either are too complex and not reliable, they require exceedingly expensive ingredients, they contain relatively hazardous materials, or because of their sensitivities, they are less safe to use. Thus, there is still a need for a low cost, non-hazardous efficient and reliable liquid explosive composition that can be blended and used without special equipment.